Ben Stokes has been left out of England’s squad for the Champions Trophy in February and March next year due to injury.
Test captain Stokes, who has not played in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, said he could return to the white-ball set-up after Brendon McCullum was appointed as all-formats coach last September.
hamstring injury
However, the 33-year-old suffered a recurrence of his hamstring problem during the recent Test series in New Zealand and was not included in the 15-man party announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Sunday.
Stokes previously missed the summer series against Sri Lanka and the first Test against Pakistan in the autumn due to a hamstring problem.
The statement is as follows: “Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes has not been considered for selection as he continues to be assessed after suffering a left hamstring injury in the third Test match against New Zealand earlier this month.”
Joe Root has returned to the squad after being away from the international white-ball scene for over a year, while Jos Buttler is back as captain after missing the team’s most recent ODI series in the West Indies.
Liam Livingstone, who took over as skipper in Butler’s absence, returned, but Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Reece Topley all failed to stake their claim in the Caribbean. I was eliminated.
Jofra Archer did enough to prove his fitness and fellow seamer Saqib Mahmood was included despite limited opportunities.
Jacob Bethell impresses on the New Zealand Test pitch.
The team will also play five T20 internationals and three ODIs in India from January before traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Spinner Rehan Ahmed features in the initial T20 leg of the tour before being dropped, while Root will only link up with the squad at the start of the ODI program.
England one-day international series and ICC Champions Trophy in India:
Jos Butler (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brooke (Yorkshire), Bryden Cass (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Over. Turn (Surrey), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Phil Salt (Lancashire) and Mark Wood (Durham).
*Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire) features in India’s IT20 series, Root is not included.
Read more: Despite injury problems, Ben Stokes vows he ‘won’t take a step back’.
